A bit late and behind, but I've got to give a shoutout to Susan from Around Portland Tour! If…read moreyou're planning a trip to Portland (OR), I highly recommend doing the tour at the start of your trip--not the end--because now I have to come back just to follow up on other "tidbits and records " she shared on the history of Portland's parks and recreation scenes. The tour kicks off by meeting up at a red building--easiest to find if you're walking just outside the perimeter. Look for a small black signage on the door. The owner usually leaves the door unlocked in the morning hours so look for benches set up for you to seat and wait for your group. Susan, our guide, is a Portland native who left for college and returned back to Portland. She gave us some great bonus insights beyond the standard tour -- like history of the places, including local tycoons, how roads were funded and how each section of the districts were divided. More importantly , she suggested a ghost tour and highly recommend to try biking around town--definitely on my list for next time!

Shannon K was the BEST tour guide. Very knowledgeable and willing to be flexible with stops. I…read morelearned so much in such a short time about Portland. I highly recommend the city tour if you're short on time but want to get a feel for Downtown Portland.

We had such an incredible experience on the Portland Ghost Tours: Punishment, Penance &…read morePoltergeists tour with the Bonus Extended Tour Upgrade, and our guide, Colin, truly made the night unforgettable. From the moment the tour started, Colin was engaging, knowledgeable, and full of energy. You can tell he genuinely loves what he does, and that passion really comes through in the way he tells each story. Colin didn't just recite facts--he brought Portland's haunted history to life with vivid storytelling, humor, and just the right amount of suspense. Every stop felt immersive, and he made sure everyone in the group was included and comfortable. He was great at answering questions, sharing extra details, and even adjusting the pacing so no one felt rushed. His personality added so much to the experience, making it feel more like an adventure than just a walking tour. The extended portion of the tour was absolutely worth it, and Colin made sure it felt special by adding even more stories, history, and eerie details. My boyfriend and I were hooked the entire time. We laughed, got chills, and learned so much about downtown Portland that we never would have known otherwise. If you're thinking about doing a ghost tour in Portland, I 100% recommend this one--and especially if you can get Colin as your guide. He made our night so fun, memorable, and unique. This was easily one of the highlights of our trip!

We booked this tour thinking it would go underground into the tunnels. It never did - it never even…read morewent into any of the buildings! I looked back on the website after the tour and its clear that the wording is very careful to not specify exactly what you're doing. Essentially we spent an hour and a half walking through the streets of downtown Portland with a few stops outside dark, closed up buildings or locked hotel lobbies to hear vague ghost stories. We took pictures of vacant windows and boarded off doors. Literally just standing on a sidewalk for 5 minutes listening to how this was "one of the most haunted places" the guide had ever been before walking on in silence for another 15 minutes . When I asked clarifying questions the guide wasn't able to provide more details. We stopped in 3 different parking lots to hear the same story about paved over sacred burial grounds and haunted trees. Now, I can say that the history we heard was correct, but it was extremely vague, and not particularly scary. The guide was very kind, just not able to give more info. Also they leave you on the sidewalk a 15 minute walk away from where the tour originally started. If you want someone to guide you through downtown while you learn some light history lessons, admire architecture, and figure out where to park this could be fun! But please know there are zero ghosts, tunnels, or haunted houses. All in all there's better ways to spend 26 bucks on 1.5 hours of cardio

Fabulous city tour with Willie! We had an absolutely incredible tour--visiting three brewery/pub…read morespots in the city. The fascinating history of Portland, combined with architecture and city stories makes an entertaining afternoon with Willie as your guide. We went to the Shanghai tunnels too and learned about the old town history there. It's a treat to tour with Willie! We were so happy to learn history and have great beer. This is a grand idea and a good deal. Willie is so easygoing and has a wonderful gift for storytelling.

Willie gave a great tour, a fun mix of history, beer and haunting. A nice combination…read more Very knowledgable, fun and good beer.

Wonderful experience!! Although I live in Portland, I had never been to Forest Park (I know! ‍) so…read moreI booked a walking tour with some friends recently and we had a lovely time. Our tour guide (Greg) was great and shared lots of fun history and interesting facts. The walk through the trails and surrounding streets was super easy even though there are a few hills. We got lucky and ended up at a lemonade stand once we exited the park. It was perfect. And there were lots of photo ops! People at work have been asking if I went out of town because no one had ever noticed all of the cool things we checked out along our route. All credit for that goes to Greg's excellent research. I enjoyed this so much that I definitely plan on taking the other neighborhood tours. I'm sure there are hidden gems all over that I would otherwise miss. This is a perfect activity for entertaining company in town, too. Overall, I highly recommend!

For me a good walking tour is going to show me places I haven't seen before, and The Portland…read moreInsider tours did just that. I'm not from Portland so a trip down Mississippi Ave was a great way to see stores and restaurants I otherwise would have completely missed. I learned a lot while also having fun, and getting some exercise. My elementary phy ed teacher would be so proud.

My boyfriend and I had talked about doing this tour since we first met. We finally made it happen…read morethis weekend. Be sure to book online so you get your spot. You can also tip when you book or you can choose to tip at the end. The tour itself was just okay. The guide was informative and had a lot of interesting information. The tour itself of a basement with low ceilings and crappy floors. Neither my boyfriend and I felt or saw any ghosts. Which of course is not predictable. Haha At the end of the tour, you have some choices of alcoholic and non-alcoholic option. My boyfriend and I don't drink beer, but they did have wine options.

Excellent tour! Really informative, fun storytelling, and a little creepy…read more We met our tour guide upstairs for the beginning of the tour and after the tour we were told we could redeem a free drink at the bar. We got there a little early and saw that there was also paper waivers you could sign if you hadn't gotten to the electronic one. We left promptly on time, so get there early! The tour went really smoothly, just remember: *Be respectful to your tour guide *Don't weirdly interrupt with side jokes *Don't talk to the people within your group while the guide is talking *For the love of all that is holy, stop fidgeting when the tour guide is talking. *It is insanely annoying and ultimately so rude. There are low spaces, very dark/low visibility areas, uneven floors, steep and narrow stairs and low hanging pipes. If you can't maneuver regular stairs, this tour isn't for you. Our guide's name was Skippy- I believe, they were great! The group I was with had done this tour 5 times already and they said this tour guide was the best one yet. At the end of the tour there is a tip jar that you can tip your guide or they provide their Venmo as well. IDs are checked at the beginning of the tour only for the people who plan to partake in the beer tasting that is at the tail end of the tour (not in the restuarant). After the tour I got the non-alcoholic option and ordered a mango flavored Italian soda with cream, which was incredible!!

We had the pleasure of being the recipient of several private walking tours of Portland given by…read moreEric Wheeler. As a historian and lover of architecture, combined with his very pleasing personality, his tours were informative and fun. As lifelong travel professionals, we were very pleased to have discovered Eric and would not hesitate to use his services on our next visit to Portland. He is a gem. Patti Roscoe & James Tiffany

From the owner: Exploring the History, Architecture and Culture of Portland…read more Explore the architecture, history and culture of Portland and environs with architectural historian Eric Wheeler. These walking tours feature downtown Portland and the surrounding historic neighborhoods as well as other communities in the greater Portland area. Eric's tours are designed for new arrivals, visitors and long-time Portland residents. The easy walking pace is designed to allow plenty of opportunity to see the sites, hear the guide and engage socially with other participants. This is a Meetup after all! The tours typically meet and end at a restaurant, pub or coffee shop, to allow for optional social time with the group before or after the tour. There is a fee for these researched and guided walking tours. Typically $15 per tour.

I took the Alberta Arts district tour…read more Dylan was a great tour guide. Due to the heat advisory it ended up just being me on the tour so it was cool they still held the tour. The amount of food and variety of cuisine was impressive from Mexican to Indian to ice cream to a glass of wine. Some of that was due to the tour just being me but it was still a fantastic value for how much I ate and took home with me. Dylan was very friendly, informative, and made sure I had a great experience. He knows the city really well. Overall highly recommend. Albert Arts district is a great area to have something like this.

Same experiences as some other recent posts. No communication, they cancelled our tour for 4 the…read moreday of the tour and never refunded me. Unable to reach them by phone or email. Have requested a refund with my credit card company.

I went to Vancouver with some friends to celebrate a birthday. We took the Spirit Tales of…read moreVancouver Barracks while we were there and it was great. Jeff is very knowledgeable about the history of the Barracks and the ghost stories. Jeff's books are another great way to continue the stories for those who love paranormal experiences. His research is to be admired. As someone who appreciates the history as well as the ghost stories I appreciate the depth of Jeff's research. We enjoyed the Barracks tour so much we took the Ft. Vancouver military cemetery tour the next day. A beautifully kept space with some very interesting residents.

The tour with Jeff was fun. He's very knowledgeable about the history of the Vancouver Barracks and…read morethe area, in general. We plan to take a cemetery tour with him in the future.

During our Portland trip, the Weird Bar Crawl was definitely one of our favorite activities…read more Dresden provided a fascinating perspective on local history as we traveled through a fun + eclectic mix of bars. His choices clearly showcased the strong communal nature of the city. We instantly clicked with the other people on tour and had some incredibly deep conversations for the amount of time we had known each other. We stayed at the bar long after the tour officially ended, talking and getting to know each other until much later. The tour ended with us (not so) slightly intoxicated, along with a newfound appreciation of the city and some hilarious stories from new friends. Dresden: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We had a great time getting to know you, throwing snakes, and seeing Portland through your eyes.

One of the highlights of our Portland trip! I don't know what magic Dresden pulled on us, but by…read morethe end of 3 hours, a group of 7 strangers were good friends. Dresden is very kind and thoughtful and really really loves Portland. He made an effort to make us all feel welcomed and connected. We learned very cool facts about it and all of the places we visited were amazing. Book this NOW!

Was gifted a Forktown Food Tour and WOW was it amazing! It was the perfect way for locals and…read morevisitors to see a different size of Portland. We just moved from Denver a few years ago so always looking for good eats! We decided to check out a neighborhood that we've never explored ourselves and we had such a great time. We took the Mississippi Ave Tour and really enjoyed the different eats that was picked out for us! We started at the food carts and had some delicious BBQ then walked a couple blocks and got to try this delicious glass noodle salad and local wine. Honestly, I was pretty full already from those first two stops but we had two more to go! We ended up going to a local brewery as well as a dairy-free ice cream shop! Being lactose intolerant, I was ECSTATIC to know that this ice cream place was all dairy free! Everyone was pleasantly surprised at the texture of the ice cream and the different flavors that was offered! Being locals we weren't sure what to expect in a group setting but everyone was a joy to be with. Our group consisted of friends celebrating a birthday and a married couple that was visiting for the weekend from Seattle. Our guide Heidi lead us on a delicious trip around Portland and cannot wait to attend her other tours or even possibly her food tours abroad! It was such a pleasure to spend a lovely Saturday with Heidi.

The Forktown Food tour was Forking Fabulous (surely I'm not the first one to capitalize on such…read morealliteration?). Ariel, our tour guide, immediately won points in my book for being both an artist and a New Mexican native. These traits are not what made her an apt, knowledgeable, or personable tour guide, per say, but they're what made me see my reflection in her mirror. "Hey! I'm an artist (writer) from New Mexico and a food tour guide, too!" With that said, Ariel did an awesome job. She knows her history, her food, her city, and has a fun personality to tie it all together. Our group was a mix of locals and travelers, solo eaters (yours truly) and a group of friends. We all got along great, and enjoyed every stop. What I enjoyed most about this was 1) the location. Mississippi Ave is a gem! Get out of downtown and explore this place! 2) the diversity of dining. I'm not well-versed enough in Korean Mexican food to know what to order at a food cart, same with Thai cuisine (um, Pad Thai? Yes I am that uneducated), so I was glad to have a great dish handed to me. Also, I liked the balance of savory, sweet, and even vegetables, and the fact it moved like a progressive meal (salad, appetizer, main, palate cleanser, dessert). I definitely recommend!